Live streaming is a well-known medium for driving engagement with one’s audience. Product launches, webinars, and user conferences are just a few of the most popular ways to leverage streaming for your business. But recently, brands and advertisers have found new outlets they can devote their streaming energies to: fundraising and advocacy.

Flagship fundraising and advocacy events, such as Al Gore’s Climate Reality, have found new homes in the streaming universe. In addition to the larger, brand-sponsored events, independent streamers have found Twitch and Facebook Live as a viable fundraising platform. As influencers continue to build a rapport with their audience through streaming, garnering the support of the viewer becomes easier.

Raising Awareness Through Live Streamed Broadcasts

Each winter, through Al Gore’s organization, The Climate Reality project, people from 24 top carbon-emitting countries across the world participate in a 24-hour live broadcast called 24 Hours of Reality. Their goal is to raise awareness and support for sensible policy surrounding climate change. In 2016, the 24 Hours of Reality event was seen by 25.6 million people through boosted live stream alone. Almost 10% of those 25.6 million people clicked through to read more about climate reality on the 24 Hours of Reality landing page.

In terms of raising awareness, these numbers represent a huge victory, and a step forward for climate reality awareness.

Fundraising Through Gaming Live Streams

Gaming live streams are hugely popular and get major traffic. Around 15 million people a day watch live streams on Twitch, so using this platform to fundraise for good causes could have an enormous impact. Tiltify is a crowdfunding platform that specifically exists to help people use their live streams to raise money for good causes. Specifically, Tiltify was created to allow the more than 45 million gamers live streaming from Twitch to build “Donate” CTAs on their Twitch channel pages, and host gaming live streams on landing pages dedicated to fundraising campaigns.

Fundraising Through Facebook Live

Since Facebook Live incorporated a donate button earlier this year, live streams have generated millions of dollars for causes and nonprofit organizations. Experiential marketing platform/agency Telescope, for example, helped raise $1.5 Million on FB Live since March. They worked on events like Stand Up to Cancer, One Love Manchester, Hand in Hand Hurricane Relief, and the ACLU’s Stand For Rights. Events like this utilize concerts and telethon-style events with celebrities to engage viewers and inspire them to donate.

In the context of global advocacy and fundraising campaigns, developing a strong international reach through live streaming is vital. Fortunately, OVPs and third parties are making it easier to leverage large audiences for good causes.